Less than two weeks before his tragic and fatal run-in with the NYPD, Kwesi Ashun was assessed by a city Mobile Crisis Team as a non-threat. His sister says one MCT worker told her, “Call 911 if he turns violent.”
Much of the time, the street vendor was indeed a peaceful soul. But he had a history of attacking police officers, and bipolar syndrome is a complex thing.
In the event, cops responding Friday to a report about another vagrant urinating on the floor of a nail salon somehow triggered Ashun — who hit one officer with a chair, sending him into a coma. That officer shot him, fatally.
No one had a chance to call 911 before it was all over — just as no one could before the latest subway pusher struck, or the one before that.
Mayor Bill de Blasio announced with great fanfare last week that he’s beefing up the Health Department’s MCTs, while placing them under ThriveNYC as part of a new $37 million plan for mental health crises.
But, as The Post’s Julia Marsh reported, what the mayor called a “blueprint” was “nothing more than a one-page press release.” A year-and-a-half after convening a task force to produce a report, City Hall had only come up with an outline.
Here’s a start on your next “report,” Mr. Mayor. No city mental health worker should be telling anyone to rely on 911 as the solution to a loved one’s dangerous mental issues.